Razor-blade stropper



1,556l F. E. WoLcoT'r RAZOR BLADE STROPPER Filed Dec. 31. 1924 Patented Aug. Z5, 1925.

FRANK E. WOLCOTT, 0F HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIG-NOR IO THE FRANK E. 'WOL- COTT MANUFACTURING COMPANY, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORATION OF CONNECTICUT.

RAZOR-BLADE STROPPER.

Application filed December 31, 1924. Serial No. 759,011.

T0 all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK E. VVoLoorfr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Razor-Blade Stroppers, of which the following is a specilication.

This invention relates to the construction of razor blade stroppers of the class set forth in United States patents to Brock* hurst #1,015,938 and Earle #1,392,309. These devices have cases which may be opened to permit the insertion and removal of a safety razor blade and that contain coacting rolls having stropping surfaces, with means for rotating the rolls and causing them to rub upon opposite edges of the blade that is placed in the case between the rolls.

In order to obtain the required results and ensure the most efficient stropping of the blade the pressure of the stropping rolls against the opposite sides of the blade must be carefully regulated. If the pressure is too light the blade is not suiiiciently rubbed to effect the necessary sharpening. Should the pressure be too heavy the rolls turn hard, the blade is unnecessarily abraded and the stropping surfaces of the rolls unduly compressed and worn down. Furthermore means must be provided to enable the compressing or wearing down of the stropping surfaces under long continued use to be compensated for so that the correct pressure 0f the rolls against the blade may be maintained.

The object of this invention is to provide a device of the character mentioned which is so constructed that the correct bearing of the stropping surfaces of the rolls against the blade may be ensured under all conditions of wea-r.

This object is attained in the device illustrated by arranging the means for retaining the blade being stropped in such manner that they will positively limit the closing together of the co-operating stropping rolls, which means are capable of positive ad justment whereby the correct bearing of the rolls against the blade may be maintained as the stropping surfaces wear down or become compressed.

In the accompanying drawings Fig. 1 is a longitudinal section of the device taken on the p lane indicated by the dotted line 11 on' Fig. 2. Fig. 2 is a transverse section taken on the plane indicated by the dott-ed line 2 2 on Fig. 1. Fig. 3 on greatly enlarged scale shows an elevation with parts 1n section of one of the posts that are arranged to retain the blade being sharpened and also limit the amount of closing toward each other of the stropping rolls.

The case of the device shown is stamped to shape from sheet metal and comprises a channeleshaped base section 1 and two cover sections 2, the cover sections being hinged at the ends to the base section by studs 3 in such manner that they may be opened apart or closed together down upon the base section. Rotatably mounted in the base section of the case are a pair of rolls 4, and rotatably mounted in each cover section of the case is a roll 5. Gn the surfaces of these rolls are spirally wound strips G of stropping material, such as leather. The roll shafts are connected by gears 7 in a manner similar to those shown in the Earle patent above referred to, and one is provided with a crank handle 8 so that by turning the handle all of the rolls will be co-actingly rotated.

Fastened by screws 9 to the inside of the base section of the case and extending upward between the pairs of rolls are sectional posts. Each of these posts has a lower member 10 the upper end of which is reduced in diameter and is threaded to provide a screw stem 11. On this reduced threaded stem a number of very thin washers or shims 12 are placed. The upper member 13 of each post has a slot 14: at its top and has threaded socket 15 in its lower end and is screwed upon the threaded stem of the lower meinber on top of the shims. The tops of these sectional posts are designed to form stops which will determine the closing positions of the cover sections of the case. The diameters of the posts are slightly less than the diameters of the holes in the common safety razor blade and the posts are spaced apart the same distance as the holes in the razor blade, so that a blade may be freely dropped upon the posts.

lhen the cover sections of the case are opened the rolls 5 are swung away from the rolls 4. A safety razor blade may then be placed upon the posts with its edges lofi resting upon the rolls 4. Upon closing the cover sections the edges of the blade on the posts are pinched between the pair of rolls 4 and 5. As the upper ends of the posts act as stops for the cover sections the pressure of the rolls upon the edges of the blade is determined by the length of the posts, or by the relations of the upper ends of the posts to the axes of the lower rolls. The upper and lower members of the posts being positively joined this relation may always be maintained and the required actions of the stropping surfaces of the rolls on the blade be ensured. Should the stropping surfaces become compressed or worn down under long continued use the upper sections of the posts ma be unscrewed and one or more of the shims removed andfthen the upper sections again screwed firmly down to place, thus reducing the total length of the stop posts and permitting the rolls to come together slightly closer.

This arrangement of sectional posts provided wit-h removable shims, for retaining the blade and determining the closed position cf the cover sections, ensures the parallelism of the rolls and correct pressure of the rolls upon the blade, and enables these necessary conditions to be always maintained, thus the device is capable of efficient use for a long period of time.

The invention claimed is 1. A safety razor blade stropper comprising a case having a base section with a pair of rolls, and two cover sections hinged to said base section and each having a roll, said rolls having yielding stropping surfaces, means for rotating said rolls, and posts extending upwardly from the basel section of the case between the rolls and forming stops which limit the closing movement of the cover sections toward the base section and thus determine the relations of the rolls in the base section to the rolls in the cover sections, said posts being spaced apart and of a diameter which permits them to receive a perforated safety razor blade and allow the edges of the blade to extend freely between the rolls in the base section and the rolls in the cover sections of the case.

2. A safety razor blade stropper comprising a case having a base section with a pair of rolls, and two cover sections hinged to the base and each having a roll, said rolls having yielding stropping surfaces, means for rotating said rolls, and sectional posts extending upwardly from the baseJ section of the case between the rolls and forming stopswhich limit the closing movement of the cover sections toward the base section, said posts being adjustable as to height whereby the relations of the rolls in the base section to the rolls in the cover sections may be varied, said posts being spaced apart and of a diameter which permits them to receive a perforated safety razor blade and allow the edges of the blade to extend freely between the rolls in the base section and the rolls in the cover sections of the base.

3. A safety razor blade stropper comprising a case having a base section with a pair of rolls, and two cover sections hinged to the base and each having a roll, said rolls having yielding stropping surfaces, means for rotating said rolls, and sectional posts extending upwardly from the base section of the case between the rolls and forming stops which limit the closing movement of the cover sections toward the base section, the sections of said posts being separated by removable shims.

FRANK E. VOLCOTT. 

